Suffolk - Great Barton

Great Barton is a large village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about 3 miles (5 km) East of Bury St Edmunds on the A143. At the 2011 census the village had a population of 2,191 rising to 2,236 at the 2018 mid year estimate. All the recorded details of burials in Great Barton Churchyard from 1563 to 1992 have been transcribed from the original registers into alphabetical order, together with cross references to the 517 gravestones, as recorded by the Women's Institute Survey in 1979. Great Barton is also home to a radio transmission site in the North of the village. The Puttocks Hill transmitter is 69m tall with a total operating power of 5.8kW, broadcasting three DAB multiplexes including BBC & local radio services.The village's name derives from Old English words Bere meaning barley and tūn meaning enclosure/demesne farm or outlying grange. The village is first recorded as Bertune in 942 in the will of Bishop Theodred granting lands to his kinsman Osgot, Eadulf's son. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the village as being in the Theivardestreu Hundred, now known as Thedwastre, and the population was 103 households made up of 22 villagers, 70 freemen, 7 smallholders, and 4 slaves along with 4 cobs, 18 cattle, 44 pigs, 402 sheep, and 2 beehives. The lands were held by Bury Abbey before and after the Norman conquest of England. Around 1783 a post mill was built North East of the main village near Mill Road, this was demolished circa 1920. In 1816 Sir Henry Bunbury, 7th Baronet, the major land owner in the area, founded one of the earliest allotment schemes in the country. He started granting land to his labouring tenants at the end of 1816 and early 1817 shortly after the food and anti-machinery riots, commonly known as the 'Bread or Blood' riots. The allotments were situated in the land bounded by Vicarage Farm Lane, Mill Road, and Livermere Road. He wrote in his memoirs of the allotments: My earliest trials, with mere gardens, soon showed me that, while the condition of the cottagers' families was in some degree improved, the men to whom these patches of ground were allotted became more domestic and moral in their habits.
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Church of the Holy Innocents
The Church is dedicated to the Holy Innocents. These were the Jewish boys under the age of two who were massacred by King Herod. This was after the visit from the wise men in search of the king of the Jews. These children are probably the first martyrs to suffer for our Lord. All Christian churches are built to oppose this injustice. Holy Innocents Great Barton is one of only five churches in the country dedicated to the Holy Innocents. It is most unusual for a mediaeval church. Wool was a very important industry in East Anglia. Woolpit and Lavenham are local churches built from the proceeds of the trade. Gt. Barton was on the edge of the wool producing area. 'Dog Pews' were put in the Church in honour of the dogs who helped the shepherds during the years when wool was a very important product of the county. The shepherd's dogs were very important to them, and far too valuable to leave outside while the shepherds were in church. The Dog Pews were situated in the back of the church, and the shepherds were encouraged to bring their dogs in with them. The shepherds were also allowed to sleep (with their dogs) in the porch. These pews can now be found at the front of the church and are one of the many items around Holy Innocents that tell a fascinating story of the church's history. Great Barton is believed to have been a settlement of the Iceni tribe before the Roman occupation of England. It is believed that Barton mere was occupied by early lake-dwellers. Records mention the parish in the time of Edward the Confessor, however it was not until about 950 AD that the parish was given into the care of the abbey of Bury St Edmunds. The abbey held it until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. It is almost certain that a Saxon Church existed here- it is probable that this was a simple wooden building rebuilt in stone by the Normans. In 1086, the Domesday Book states that the church possessed 50 acres of land, valued at £20. The chancel was erected and the font was installed in the late 13th century. These are the earliest parts of the present church. Over the centuries, various additions were made to the church when funds became available. It was the job of the Rector to maintain the chancel, whereas other parts were maintained by the parishioners. In the 15th century they erected the aisles, clerestory and tower. Much money was left to the church for restoration in the 15th century, including from the Rector of that time, William Howerdly. The following two centuries saw the destruction of many parts of the church due to the Reformation and Puritan purge. At this time the majority of the angels in the roof were destroyed. Their remains can still be seen today. Little work was done on the church until the Victorian era when major restoration work began. The list of incumbents goes back to 1320 when the parish was in the diocese of Norwich. In 1823 it was in the Diocese of Ely, and in 1914 it became a member of the newly formed Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

Information from:-

www.greatbartonandthurston.org.uk/history/a-brief-history/